South Korean singer and actress IU (Lee Ji-eun) continues to prove her immense star power and earnings. According to EDAM Entertainment’s latest audit report, IU is estimated to have received nearly ₩30 billion in settlements in 2024 alone.
According to EDAM Entertainment’s audit report disclosed on March 28, from January 1 to December 31, 2024, the company paid ₩33.6 billion in artist-related fees. This figure includes various settlement costs such as appearance fees and additional payments typically owed to entertainers.
While the breakdown of exact individual payments wasn’t disclosed, industry experts believe the vast majority of the total went directly to IU. Given IU’s dominant role within the company — both as EDAM Entertainment’s leading artist and major shareholder — her estimated take-home amount is believed to hover around ₩30 billion.
Attorney Noh Jong-eon of Law Firm Jonjae explained, “Although these fees may include promotional, legal, accounting and event-related expenses, these rarely make up a significant portion. Therefore, it’s fair to say that most of the settlement fee likely went to IU. For transparency, it would be ideal for agencies to clearly disclose settlement amounts in future operations.”
For context, other leading K-pop agencies also reveal similar patterns. For instance, ADOR, the agency behind girl group NewJeans, reported ₩29 billion in artist fees in 2023, of which ₩26.1 billion was paid directly to the group members.
EDAM Entertainment is majority-owned (52.5%) by Kakao Entertainment, while IU herself holds a 22.5% stake, making her the third-largest shareholder. In fact, the company is often described as a “one-person agency”, with most of its revenue attributed to IU’s activities.
In 2024, EDAM Entertainment posted revenue of ₩74.9 billion and operating profits of ₩6.1 billion, underscoring just how instrumental IU’s work is to its financial success.
IU’s projects from last year included concerts, CFs and major drama preparations — all contributing to her massive payday. This year, she was back on the small screen with Netflix’s drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines”, further continuing her “hard-working” streak and solidifying her place as one of Korea’s most bankable stars.